This disclosure relates to a water heating system, a method of heating water and a heated water apparatus that are designed to provide generally consistent exit water temperature from a heated water reservoir after intermittent cycles or semi-continuous heated water discharge.
There are many instances, particularly in the food and beverage industries, where a volume of heated water is required to prepare a beverage such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate or a food product, such as dough, beans or mashed potatoes. It is desirable to prepare such beverage and food products with a volume of heated water having a generally predetermined temperature or range of temperatures to affect product characteristics.
For example, various types of water heating systems, such as automatic beverage brewing systems, are known for providing heated water. A typical water heating system for producing beverages includes a heated water reservoir that retains a predetermined volume of water in a heated state. Often, it is desirable to brew a beverage using water having a temperature or temperature range near or below the boiling point of water, i.e. 200° F. ±5°. The heated water is dispensed from the heated water reservoir over a brewing substance for producing a brewed beverage, such as coffee or tea. When a brewing temperature below the desired brewing temperature is used, the extraction of certain oils, solids and other characteristics from the brewing substance may be less than nominal resulting on poor flavor characteristics of the beverage.
The heated water dispensed for use is displaced in the heated water reservoir with fill water which is introduced to the reservoir generally at the time of dispensing.
The fill water is generally at a temperature level below the desired or target temperature or temperature range of the heated water in the reservoir and the temperature for brewing. Displacement of the heated water retained in the water reservoir by unheated fill water requires the unheated fill water to be heated to and maintained at a target temperature or range for use to achieve a desired product.
When consecutive volumes of heated water are drawn from the heated water reservoir, and are replaced by unheated fill water, a problem may be created because the unheated fill water may not reach a desired temperature prior to being drawn from the heated water reservoir.